Chia seeds are pretty cool little things. They start out as unassuming little speckled bits, roughly the same size as a course grain of sand. When soaked in liquid, they become gooey and gelatinous, making them fun additions to drinks and a great vegan egg substitute. They’re rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, and unsaturated fats, and they’re high in fibre. Chia seeds are pretty cool.

So, I figured I should incorporate them into a chia seed face mask. Why not? A face mask that delivers a hefty dose of antioxidants can’t be anything but good. I decided to blend them with clay to make for a relatively uniform mixture that I could attempt to hydrate somewhat evenly into a jelly-like mask.

I whizzed the chia seeds up with some French green clay in my DIY coffee grinder until I had a smooth, fluffy mixture before adding some essential oils. I chose bright bergamot, which can help fade scars and stimulate circulation, and spicy black pepper, which has antibacterial and detoxifying properties.

If you’re familiar with clay masks, you’ll find this one hydrates up a bit… strangely. It definitely takes on some chia gel characteristics, and ends up spreading across the face a bit like oatmeal might. As the mask dries you’ll find it forms a thin film, which I thought was pretty neat.

Once you rinse it off you’ll find your skin is fresh and smooth, and not too dry (especially compared to a French green clay mask without chia seeds). Give it a goopy go, it’s good fun!

Chia Seed Face Mask

1 tsp chia seeds
2 tbsp French green clay
4 drops bergamot essential oil
2 drops black pepper essential oil
1 nip | 1/64 tsp 100x concentrated aloe vera powder (optional—or just hydrate the mask with aloe juice)

Place the chia seeds and clay in your DIY specific coffee grinder and blend them until you can’t hear the seeds dinging around anymore, and then some.

Add the essential oils and aloe powder (if using) and blend.

To use, measure 2 tsp of warm water into a small dish and whisk in ~1½ tsp of the dry mix to form a creamy paste. Spread it all over your face and let it dry for 20–30 minutes before rinsing it off.

Wondering how to measure 1/64th of a teaspoon? I use these adorable little spoons!